During the spring and summer of 2004, SubCultures Design teamed up with Art Asylum to offer the Create-A-Mate Design competition. This opened the doors for aspiring toy designers to create their own Minimate action figure. The public response to the competition was fantastic, and the winners will have their designs produced as actual figures in 2005.
There were a number of influences in the creation of the Plaid-Eye Pete design. An old poster for A Clockwork Orange caught my eye awhile back, and that sort of set the wheels in motion. I’m a huge fan of pinstripes and plaids (though not necessarily at the same time), and a recent photo of Scott Weiland of Stone Temple Pilots fame inspired a more well-dressed version of ‘Alex’.
The patterns were first created digitally and then applied directly to the figure with decoupage medium. Acrylic was used to touch up any hard to reach spots.
Though I personally feel he looks a bit sinister and mischievous, most people say that Plaid-Eye Pete reminds them of their grandfather. I guess that’s not a bad interpretation either…
Created Fall 2004
